Significance of Montana

Montana is where Michelle and her family lived and it is where her surviving loved ones currently reside. Montana features prominently in Part One of the book as Snyder tells Michelle's story and travels to the state to visit her family members. Montana is an example of a jurisdiction that has made significant changes to its approach to domestic violence in the aftermath of escalating tragedies. Snyder's discussion of Montana's fatality review team is an example of this. Montana is also a state in which most people own guns and believe in the second amendment. It is therefore an interesting place for Snyder to introduce the topic of gun control and the role that guns play in increasing domestic violence homicides.